With a little over five weeks until the presidential election, both partisan and non-partisan groups are scrambling to get students registered to vote before the Oct. 4 deadline.
However, many students remain confused about the voting process and about their eligibility to vote in Pennsylvania.
Various groups are trying to dispel any myths concerning voting, from issues with taxes to registration in multiple places.
"If you go to school at Penn, you can register to vote in Pennsylvania," said Mark Nevins, spokesman for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.).
The historically low voter participation rate in Pennsylvania in the 18-24 age group is in many cases due to confusion arising from students trying to vote for the first time, according to a student voting guide published by the Pennsylvania Department of State.
|
Registration stipulations
To register to vote in the state, residents must fulfill the following criteria: Citizenship: Be a citizen of the U.S. for at least one month before the election. Residency: Be a resident of Pa. and your election district for at least 30 days. Age: Be at least 18 years old on Election Day. More information on voting in Pa. is available at www.votespa.com. |
Voters may not register in two different states or in two different election precincts within any state for the same election. Thus, it is imperative that those registering in Pennsylvania include their prior address on the application.
If students somehow manage to escape the voter registration volunteers stationed around the streets of Philadelphia, they will need to register at a county voter registration commission, by mail, at a Department of Transportation photo license center or at various government agencies.
Once registered, students may verify their voter registration status by contacting their county voter registration commission.
Once students are registered to vote, they can vote either in person on Election Day -- from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. -- or by absentee ballot.
Every registered voter is assigned to a polling precinct. A voter may only vote on Election Day at the assigned polling site printed on the Voter Identification Card.
If students do not receive a Voter Identification Card within 14 days after the voter application is submitted, they should contact the county voter registration office.
First-time voters or those voting in a new precinct must provide election officials with proof of identification. A PennCard or other school ID will suffice.
Those who wish to vote through absentee ballots must ensure their application for an absentee ballot is received by their county board of elections before 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before Election Day. The completed absentee ballot must be returned to the county board of elections by 5 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day.
